Tucker Carlson and Don Jr are behind RFK Jr’s expected decision to drop campaign, report says

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Donald Trump Jr and Tucker Carlson pressured Robert F Kennedy Jr to drop his presidential campaign.

The former president’s oldest son, the former Fox News personality and a Florida businessman, Omeed Malik, urged the independent candidate to abandon his campaign and endorse Donald Trump for president, NBC News reported, citing two unnamed sources familiar with the matter.

Robert F Kennedy Jr, who is expected to drop out of the race this week, may have been pressured to end his campaign by Donald Trump Jr and Tucker Carlson (Copyright 2024 The Associated Press. All rights reserved)

These conversations began in July during the Republican National Convention, according to NBC News. Trump and Kennedy had at least two conversations the week of the convention.

The report revealed that Trump Jr, Carlson and Malik then intensified their conversations with Kennedy after President Joe Biden dropped out of the race and endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris, who is now the Democratic nominee.

These conversations came amid polling that showed Kennedy could leech support from Trump.

Trump Jr and Carlson pressured Kennedy to drop out of the presidential race, a new report reveals. The independent candidate is expected to end his bid on Friday (Getty Images)

Kennedy and his running mate Nicole Shanahan are planning to drop out of the race by the end of this week, sources told ABC News.

Shanahan also revealed on a recent podcast they are considering dropping out and joining the Trump camp.

“There’s two options that we’re looking at,” Shanahan said on the business podcast Impact Theory.

“One is staying in, forming that new party but we run the risk of a Kamala Harris and Walz presidency because we draw votes from Trump. Or we walk away right now and join forces with Donald Trump,” she continued.

Trump Jr speaks with his father, Donald Trump. The former president’s son may be behind Kennedy’s expected decision to drop out of the race (AFP via Getty Images)

Vance also confirmed there has been “a lot of communication back and forth” between Kennedy, his campaign and the Trump campaign.

“Our argument to RFK ... is ... if you want a Democratic Party that protected American workers and stood for strong borders, maybe disagreed with Republicans on things like tax policy, that party doesn’t exist anymore,” Vance said.

Trump and Carlson speak at the Republican National Convention (Getty Images)

Kennedy’s campaign events have slowed down in recent weeks. Jeff Hays, who has given the campaign more than $300,000, told ABC News that Shanahan’s recent comments also killed fundraising efforts.

The independent candidate is also facing problems getting his name on the ballot in some states. In New York, challengers accused him of using a “sham” address on election forms, leading a judge to remove him from the ballot. Similar challenges could be brought against the independent candidate in Georgia.

The Independent has contacted Kennedy’s campaign, Trump’s campaign, Carlson and Malik for comment.